Reclaiming the Beachhead

The 13th's failed assault on Neptune had been intended to secure the area as a staging ground for attacks deeper into the system. However, it became apparent that the element of surprise had been lost, especially when Aurora scouts indicated that the UEF 3rd Fleet (under Calder) was ready to jump to any threatened location immediately. GTVA High Command made the decision to fortify and secure the node and then hold until the disappearance and return of the Orestes and her battle group could be fully explained. Examination of the 14th Battle Group's recorded telemetry immediately put the Security Council into closed emergency session and led to the temporary disappearance of hundreds of analysts and engineering personnel. The full details of what was discovered can still only be speculated at. Squadrons based on the 14th Battle Group (including the 222nd Nightwolves) were dissolved and all surviving crew members were put through rigorous psychological screening. Some of the 14th's ships were no longer available for analysis - the GTC Duke, GTCv Labouchere, and GTL Solace had defected wholesale to the UEF.

Meanwhile, the UEF Fleet Admirals (particularly Calder of Jupiter) agitated for a massive military push against the vulnerable beachhead. The Elders consistently vetoed these requests. The belief amongst the Council members was that the invasion must be motivated by a misunderstanding and that diplomatic contact would be productive. This belief was bolstered by the arrival of thousands of defectors from the 14th Battlegroup. These defectors were extensively debriefed in the months to come, providing the UEF with its first understanding of GTVA beam weapons and tactical doctrine - including the use of tactical meson bombs, which would become critical in the later stages of the war. Several Elders performed lengthy interviews in order to gain an understanding of GTVA history.

The Elders meditated for some time on their findings before producing reports for the UEF public. They picture they drew was chilling.

Earth's children had ventured out amongst the stars and found only unknowable hostility and infinite hatred. The GTA of old had broken and collapsed, just as it had on Earth.

But unlike the Ubuntu Party, which had been only a minor splinter faction at the time of the Lucifer's destruction and earned power by popular appeal, the GTVA had been reborn as a primarily economic and political entity, rather than a cultural force. This focus on 'hard power' and military defense had left the GTVA vulnerable to internal ideological rifts, first during Reconstruction and then during the turbulent Neo-Terran Front rebellion. The Terran identity had become characterized by militarism and fear, and - as one Elder put it - these were traits that could sustain an army, not a people.

In effect, the GTVA had maintained the trust of its people through the promise of an impenetrable military aegis. The disaster at Capella had shattered this ideal. The fall of Gamma Draconis and Capella was, by all accounts, a military miracle, a masterpiece of defensive play and quick thinking. It was not, as some asserted, a case of hubris or overweening pride: the GTVA had enacted contingency plans in the event of a massive Shivan invasion, and enacted them successfully.